Gathering and discharging mechanism for beet-harvesters.



T. S. MOORE. GATHERING AND DISCHARGING MECHANISM FOR BE ET HARVESTERS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25, 1914.

1 12 5 5g. Patented June 8, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET T. S. MOORE.

GATHERING AND DISCHARGING MECHANISM FOR BEET HARVESTERS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25, 1914.

1,142,050. Patented June 8,1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

T. S. MOORE.

GATHERING AND DISCHARGING MECHANISM FOR BEET HARVESTERS.

. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25, I914.

1I,142,050.. Patented June 8,1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- UNITED STATES PATENT o FIoE.

THOMAS S. MOORE, OF SH OBHONI, WYOM ING, ASSIGNOB O]? ONE-HALF WILLIAMS, 0] WHEATLAND, WYOMING.

I GATHERING AND DISCHABGING- MECHANISM FOR. BEET HARVESTERS.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1915.

Original application filed October 11, 1913, Serial No. 794,684. Divided and this application filed February 25, 1914. Serial No. 820,942.

of Wyoming, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gathering and Discharging Mechanism for Beet-Harvesters, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This application is a division of an aspplication led by me October 11, 1913, erial No. 7 94,684. Y

The invention relates to beet harvesters and has special reference to the mechanism for conveying the beets from the uprooting mechanism to the rear of the machine, the object being to provide simple and efficient means for conveying the beets from the'uprootingmechanism to the point of delivery, and also to remove from the beets, as they pass to the point of delivery, any tops which may remain thereon.

The preferred embodiment of my present invention is illustrated in. the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a beet harvester equipped with my improvements; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the conveyor chain; Fig. 5 is a detail view of the cutter.

In carrying out my invention, I employa frame 1 which may be of any convenient dimensions and of any preferred detailed construction. This frame is equipped at its front end with a draft pole or tongue-2 and in the sides of the frame is journaled an axle 3 upon which'are fitted ground wheels 4 adapted to actuate the axle through the well known escapement devices.

The plows 7, which are designed to run in the ground along the row of plants and at opposite sides of the plants in the row, are secured to and carried by the lower ends of standards 8 which have their upper ends merged into forwardly extending beams 9 and the said beams are secured at their front ends to a hangerlO which is adjustably susdepth by manipulatin .end secured to the rear end of one of the rollers, the rear end of the said shaft being equipped with a pinion 24 which meshes with a gear Wheel 25 fitted loosely upon the axle and has its hub elongated at one side and constructed with a ratchet or clutch face,'as shown most clearly in Fig. 1. A coacting clutch member is splined upon and shiftable longitudinally of the axle. When the clutch members are disengaged, the machine may travel without actuating the working mechanism and when it is desired to act upon the plants it is necessary only to bring the clutch members into engagement, whereupon the gear wheel will be actuated. v

The plows 7 will, of course, run directly behind the topping rollers 16 and they are set to take into the ground to any desired a lever 28 which is fulcrumed upon the rame above the rear ends of the plow beams 9 and is connected with said beams by a link 29, as shown. This lever is equipped with the usual latch 01' holding member 30 adapted to engage a segment or rack-31 so that the plows will be held in the position in which they may be set. .Above the plows 7, and extending upwardly and rearwardly from the standards 8, are a pair of rollers 32 which are adapted to cotiperate with the plows in raising the beet bodies and are so mounted that they may readily accommodate the vertical movement or ad ustment of the plows. The rollers 32 are equipped with intermeshing pinions and one of them has secured to its rear end the front end of a flexible shaft 35 which is journaled in suitable bearings upon the frame of the machine and is fitted at its rear end with a pinion 36 meshing with a gear wheel 37. 'The said gear wheel 37 is formed upon or secured rigidly to an extension of the hub of the gear wheel 25 so that the said gear wheels 25 and 37 will operate simultaneously. A platform 38 is secured upon the frame of the machine over the rear portions of the shafts 23 and 35 and the said platform is constructed with slots 39 through. which may operate fingers 40, carried by the shaft 23, topush the beets which any tops that may be left on the beetswill be projected. Upon'the shaft 35 immediately in rear of the said stop 41 is a knife 43 which, by the rotation of'the said shaft,v will be. drawn against the tops pro.- jecting through the opening 42 and sever the said tops, so that the beet bodies delivered to the elevator will be free of all leaves and stems.

'Disposed longitudinally of the machine and above the rollers 32 so as to coiiperate therewith is a flexible carrier or chain 44 which is trained around a sprocket 45 journaled upon the plow standards 8 and provided with pairs of teeth or pins 46 upon each of its links. The said chain is actuated by a sprocket wheel 47, secured upon the extended hub of the gear wheels 25 and 37 and between the said gear wheels, and the intermediate portions of its upper and lower runs are supported and guided by idlers 48 and 49 mounted in any convenient manner upon the frame of the machine above and in rear of the platform 38. As the beet bodies are taken up by the rollers 32, the pins or teeth 46 of the carrier 44 will engage the bodies and force them toward and over the rear ends of the rollers and onto the platform'38 to and against the stop 42 which will arrest the travel of the beets and cause thecarrier to release the same.

The elevator 50 is disposed at one side of the machine and consists of a chain similar in its construction to the carrier 44 and running in a trough or trunk 52 which is secured upon the frame, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 3, so that the lowerend of the elevator will be below the platform 38 in position to receive the beet bodies therefrom, while the upper end of the elevator will be above the rear end of the machine in position to deliver the beets into any convenient receptacle at that point. In actual practice, I prefer to equip the upper rear end of the elevator with a spout or chute 53 by which the beets will be directed into a wagon drawn over the field in rear of the beet harvester. The chain 50 will, of course, be trained around sprocket wheels at the upper and lower ends of the trunk or trough 52 and the shaft 54 of the lower sprocket wheel is extended through and slightly be yond the inner side of the trunk and equipped with a second sprocket wheel or pinion 55 around which is trained a driving chain 56 which is actuated by a sprocket wheel 57 secured upon a counter-shaft 58 mounted in suitable bearings upon the with a gear wheel 60 on the extended hub of the gear wheel 25. It will be noted that the gear wheels 25, 37, and 60 and the sprocket Wheel 47 have a common'hub or connecting sleeve, so that the said wheels I Wlll operate simultaneously or will all remain at rest, accordingly as the clutch member 27 is caused to engage the clutch memher 26 or is held out of engagement there-' with.

It is thought the operation of my improved machme will be' readily understood from the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. As the machine is drawn along the row of plants the deflectors I5 will pass under and raise the drooping leaves and stems growing,

from the tops of the beet bodies or roots and the topping rollers 16 which are immediately in rear of the said deflectors will gage the beets as they pass over the upper ends of the plows, and will impart an upward movement to the beets so that they may be engaged by the pins of the. carrier 44. The said carrier will then force the beets onto the platform 38, as previously stated, from which they will be pushed laterally by the fingers 40, as will be readily understood,v and pass onto the elevator 50. The rollers and the carrier are all driven positively from the gearing mounted on the axle of the machine, so that the beets cannot accumulate at any one point and clog the operation. The dirt which may adhere to a beet as 'it is uprooted by the plows will drop therefrom as it travels over the rollers 32 and as it is delivered onto the platform 38 and will fall through the space between the rollers and through the slots in the platform.

What I claim is :v

1. A beet harvester comprising a frame, uprooting members mounted on the frame at one side thereof, an elevator mounted on the frame at the opposite side thereof, a

platform on the frame at one side of the elevator and in rear of the uprooting mechanism, means for delivering the beets from the uprooting members onto the platform, and means for pushing the beets over the platform transversely of the frame onto the elevator.

2. In a beet harvester, the combination of a main frame, a latform secured thereon and provided wlth slots disposed trans- 10 the beets therefrom onto the elevator, and

means for rotating said shaft.

3. In a beet harvester, the combination of a main frame, a platform secured thereon and provided with slots disposed transversely of the main frame, means for de-' livering beets upon said platform, and

rotating fingers playing through the slots in the platform to move the beets laterall thereover.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 20 in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS S. MOORE. [1,. s.]

Witnesses:

Armour HANSON, RALPH S. LINN. 

